26/9/06Dear Mr Crohas,Archos AV 500 30 Gig numbers F053706531 and F05403697I purchased both these AV 500 player recorders at FNAC Les Halles Paris in May 2006 for my professional work. I understood that they would support an Archos camera - that was withdrawn from the market; I also understood from your own specifications that the Archos AV 500 recorded and supported the 16x9 format. It does not record or display 16x9 format video. Several of us in Broadcast television have been waiting for a firmware fix to this factory fault. It has not come, your last firmware release was 1.5.12 since then ARCHOS SA appears to have lost interest in its product and its customers. Your customer support is as you must know, catastrophically bad, you have done what you can to avoid publishing your address. On several occasions I have asked for email support information, but I have never had a reply. I called your help line and was told that I should record video in 4x3 format because 16x9 on an AV 500 doesn’t work. I told them that as a broadcast cameraman it is my clients who stipulate the format, not Archos. I asked if Archos planned to release a firmware fix for this 16x9 format fault and they didn’t know. I asked if it was likely to be fixed and they said “No”.I congratulate you on the product’s design, which is generally good. I know there have been problems but serious companies (who wish to develop a client base) usually learn the obvious lesson that they have to fix faults and look after clients’ genuine queries.

The simple truth is that you are of course a French company and as anybody who has spent any time at all in France knows to their cost, French after sales service is stunningly bad, almost non existent. Service generally is quite often insulting. As a P-DG can you tell me how a country that manages great innovative design seems incapable of offering service or repair? All my camera and broadcast equipment is necessarily repaired abroad. I have learned the hard way not to trust French Engineers to get it right, to misdiagnose, lose parts or simply cheat on repairs.ARCHOS SA is discussed on the internet in the most derogatory terms. Does Archos SA have to take such little care? What do you intend to do to rectify this? Can you tell those of your clients who appear to have misplaced their trust in an ARCHOS SA firmware fix, that you will produce one very soon?

Wrote to Henri Crohas (Archos CEO) Sept 26th - So far no reply. 6th October.... Still no reply

QUOTE(Paris7 @ Sep 26 2006, 07:17 PM)

ARCHOS SAHenri Crohas, P-DG12 rue Ampère,91430 IgnyFrance[COLOR=blue]

26/9/06Dear Mr Crohas,Archos AV 500 30 Gig numbers F053706531 and F05403697I purchased both these AV 500 player recorders at FNAC Les Halles Paris in May 2006 for my professional work. I understood that they would support an Archos camera - that was withdrawn from the market; I also understood from your own specifications that the Archos AV 500 recorded and supported the 16x9 format. It does not record or display 16x9 format video. Several of us in Broadcast television have been waiting for a firmware fix to this factory fault. It has not come, your last firmware release was 1.5.12 since then ARCHOS SA appears to have lost interest in its product and its customers. Your customer support is as you must know, catastrophically bad, you have done what you can to avoid publishing your address. On several occasions I have asked for email support information, but I have never had a reply. I called your help line and was told that I should record video in 4x3 format because 16x9 on an AV 500 doesn’t work. I told them that as a broadcast cameraman it is my clients who stipulate the format, not Archos. I asked if Archos planned to release a firmware fix for this 16x9 format fault and they didn’t know. I asked if it was likely to be fixed and they said “No”.I congratulate you on the product’s design, which is generally good. I know there have been problems but serious companies (who wish to develop a client base) usually learn the obvious lesson that they have to fix faults and look after clients’ genuine queries.

The simple truth is that you are of course a French company and as anybody who has spent any time at all in France knows to their cost, French after sales service is stunningly bad, almost non existent. Service generally is quite often insulting. As a P-DG can you tell me how a country that manages great innovative design seems incapable of offering service or repair? All my camera and broadcast equipment is necessarily repaired abroad. I have learned the hard way not to trust French Engineers to get it right, to misdiagnose, lose parts or simply cheat on repairs.ARCHOS SA is discussed on the internet in the most derogatory terms. Does Archos SA have to take such little care? What do you intend to do to rectify this? Can you tell those of your clients who appear to have misplaced their trust in an ARCHOS SA firmware fix, that you will produce one very soon?

Just to keep you posted I returned my AV500 to dixons even though it was beyond their money back period I cited the sale of goods act as the product would not support 16by9 and to be honest the sales staff diddnt seem too surprised.

I was assured by Arcos UK that the new 604 had cured our aspect ratio problems and so I managed to grab one cheap from ebay about a month ago.

Archos have made a slightly backward step by forcing customers to buy various docks, and this has slowed me down also as I've had to wait for the travel dock to become available.

I've been playing tonight as the dock finally arrived and the new Archos is a fantastic piece of kit. The screen is larger and perfect for our purposes, and the keys and menus are far better.

Only one snag...

Yup, you guessed it... Archos 16 by 9 is cropped and distorted.

Once again the 604 loses about 10% of data from both top and bottom of screen, then for some reason stretches the remaining picture back vertically in order to fit the archos screen.

I tried recording a DVD tonight and their version of 2.35:1 has even worse problems... a huge amount of the image is lost from top and bottom anf the picture is then stretched back to an approximate 2.35:1 giving that now familiar hall of mirrors effect.

Had a go at recording Gladiator in both formats and chubby old Russell Crowe not only looks emaciated but also has no hair or chin in his close ups!

The only way to use this device without affecting the original framing is to record in 4x3. I had hoped to then display in 16 by 9 but again the Archos software lopps off the top and bottom of frame and displays a distorted image.

I cant tell what happens if the Archos recording is displayed on a TV as Archos have been very cunning, the travel dock is input only... no AV out (which you dont find out till you buy one) and I'll be damned is I'm forking out for the full AV dock until I really need it.

This is all Veeeeery frustrating as the 406 is otherwise a beautiful piece of kit. They've cured the tiny record window problem and made the graphics optional, you see a full size image of the AV source as soon as it is plugged in.

Once you tweek the power saving options to keep the backlight on it is far better than the predecessorsand as long as you stick to 4x3 it is quite servicable as a mini colour viewfinder.

I will probobly keep this one, and use it as a 4x3 recorder, 16x9 may also be usable for film as around 20% of headroom is generally outside the ground glass and ignored.

I am posting this message on the forum in the hope that the boffins at Archos will see the errors of their ways and maybe produce a firmware update to give full frame and un-distorted aspect ratios.

It is quite ludicrous that Archos continue to advertise 16 by 9 ratios when the DVR's clearly cannot support the ratio without slicing off chunks of the picture.

Even if used for more domestic purposes it is unlikely that the 604 will be used to record 'Richard and Judy' It is more likely to be used by movie buffs who will be similarly disappointed by the distorted images.

Just to keep you posted I returned my AV500 to dixons even though it was beyond their money back period I cited the sale of goods act as the product would not support 16by9 and to be honest the sales staff diddnt seem too surprised.

I was assured by Arcos UK that the new 604 had cured our aspect ratio problems and so I managed to grab one cheap from ebay about a month ago.

Archos have made a slightly backward step by forcing customers to buy various docks, and this has slowed me down also as I've had to wait for the travel dock to become available.

I've been playing tonight as the dock finally arrived and the new Archos is a fantastic piece of kit. The screen is larger and perfect for our purposes, and the keys and menus are far better.

Only one snag...

Yup, you guessed it... Archos 16 by 9 is cropped and distorted.

Once again the 604 loses about 10% of data from both top and bottom of screen, then for some reason stretches the remaining picture back vertically in order to fit the archos screen.

I tried recording a DVD tonight and their version of 2.35:1 has even worse problems... a huge amount of the image is lost from top and bottom anf the picture is then stretched back to an approximate 2.35:1 giving that now familiar hall of mirrors effect.

Had a go at recording Gladiator in both formats and chubby old Russell Crowe not only looks emaciated but also has no hair or chin in his close ups!

The only way to use this device without affecting the original framing is to record in 4x3. I had hoped to then display in 16 by 9 but again the Archos software lopps off the top and bottom of frame and displays a distorted image.

I cant tell what happens if the Archos recording is displayed on a TV as Archos have been very cunning, the travel dock is input only... no AV out (which you dont find out till you buy one) and I'll be damned is I'm forking out for the full AV dock until I really need it.

This is all Veeeeery frustrating as the 406 is otherwise a beautiful piece of kit. They've cured the tiny record window problem and made the graphics optional, you see a full size image of the AV source as soon as it is plugged in.

Once you tweek the power saving options to keep the backlight on it is far better than the predecessorsand as long as you stick to 4x3 it is quite servicable as a mini colour viewfinder.

I will probobly keep this one, and use it as a 4x3 recorder, 16x9 may also be usable for film as around 20% of headroom is generally outside the ground glass and ignored.

I am posting this message on the forum in the hope that the boffins at Archos will see the errors of their ways and maybe produce a firmware update to give full frame and un-distorted aspect ratios.

It is quite ludicrous that Archos continue to advertise 16 by 9 ratios when the DVR's clearly cannot support the ratio without slicing off chunks of the picture.

Even if used for more domestic purposes it is unlikely that the 604 will be used to record 'Richard and Judy' It is more likely to be used by movie buffs who will be similarly disappointed by the distorted images.

Come on Archos, please sort yourselves out and fix this software!

I don't think there is a chance StediI Wrote to Henri Crohas (Archos CEO) Sept 26th - So far no reply. ....6th October.... Still no reply ....... 17th October .... still no reply.[COLOR=red]